C—l

Nine schedules and sixteen plans have been examined for the Public Works Department. Fifty-eight schedules and 110 plans of lands taken under the Public Works Acts have been examined and recorded. Seventeen plans of towns for which Governor's approval is necessary have been examined. Six schedules of Local Bills have been revised for Local Bills Committee of the House of Bepresentatives. Twenty-seven wash-drawings of landscape scenery have been made. For tinting, etching, sets-off, corrections, touching up, &c, 360 lithographic stones have been worked on. The out-turn of the lithographic machines and presses amounted to 1,098,503 impressions. The complete copies printed were 716,944, showing an increase of 16,541 on last year's return. Of these, the hand-presses contributed 52,241 copies. 1,012 subjects were taken in hand. Forty-six plate transfers were pulled. The two litho-machines have been constantly running under conditions as regards housing in every respect unfavourable to their due preservation. Had not precautions been taken to prevent the wear-and-tear from exceeding safe limits, numerous stoppages would have occurred. To enable the office to meet the increasing work, and to relieve the large and small machines, it will be advantageous to obtain a new machine capable of bedding a stone 26 in. by 36 in. The photographic gallery, which has been specially built, was completed and handed over to the department on the 19th October, 1896. With the greatly-improved accommodation, suitable fittings, &c, Mr. Boss has kept pace with his work, the new arrangements enabling two cameras to be used simultaneously. As was anticipated, improved results in the quality of the work and greater economy in its production have followed the introduction of the double-anastigmat wideangle lens, which has been applied successfully to the reproduction of the geographical map of Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki on one 30 in. by 30 in. plate. Mr. Boss took a splendid negative, which he transferred to stone, the proof showing sharpness, and no distortion at the extremities. The number of wash-drawings and photographs reproduced shows how popular the "process" work has become. The demands from other departments have greatly increased in this respect. In many instances the photographs which have to be operated upon are such as to make failure inevitable. Sunlight pictures, which throw dense shadows, render reticulation almost impossible, even though the coarsest screen be employed. 71,750 process pictures have been printed. Attention has been given to the photo-trichromatic or three-colour work, and its adaptability to lithography. By this process all of the colours and tints of an original painting or drawing are said to be produced in three printings. The difficulty of obtaining pure colour-filters and inks of the proper relative strengths and transparency has not yet been overcome. Eventually this process will lend itself more to lithographic than to letterpress printing, as there is greater certainty in registering colours accurately from stone.

Lithographic Printing and Photographing from 1st April, 1896, to 31st March, 1897.

xvi

Printing. Number of Photographing. Department. Number of Impressions taken Separate Printings. By By Machine. Hand. Number of Silver Plates. Prints. Lands and Survey Public Works Mines Marine ... Agricultural and Stock Railways Native Land Purchase Government Insurance Eegistrar-General's Premier's General Assembly Library ... Postal and Telegraph Education 1,139 87 36 19 22 32 2 15 11 4 1 18 2 1 9 5 1 639,285 28,395 72,950 2,050 28,500 147,000 20,400 40,500 2,400 43,233 4,061 68 1,150 34 89 1,950 1,003 10 480 2,500 470 614 38 83 3 12 88 1 10 70 16 13,340 6,420 520 3,600 35,300 2,795 29 Government Printer Public Trust Agent-General Treasury 3 7 Totals 1,404 1,043,455 55,048 888 86